Best Drones With A Camera For Under $100

Looking to purchase your first drone but do not want to spend too much? Or maybe you are looking for a cool gift for someone? Well, you have come to the right place because in this article I will show you the best drones under $100 that also comes with a camera. In my view, a drone without a camera is not nearly as fun to fly as a drone with a camera.

Most consumers just fly for fun while others fly to practice their aerial photography /videography skills. As the demand for drones increases, new drone companies emerge to try and fill any gap in the market. One of those areas is the market for cheap but good drones with advanced features.

The drones in this list will be geared towards beginners but even experienced flyers will have some fun with them. One of the best features of modern consumer drones is the fact that most of them now come with very good cameras, the following is a list of the best drones under $100 that also come with a decent camera.

DJI/RYZE Tech Tello Drone

Well,it was just time before DJI entered the lower priced end of the drone market and they have done so with another winner. The Tello drone tops this list and for under $100, you do get your money’s worth and more. The Tello drone is built in conjunction with Ryze robotics, another tech company from the Shenzhen region of China.

This drone is suitable for beginners.kids and even more experienced pilots,the drone is designed to be flown indoors and outdoors and has a robust build that can withstand the occasional crashes. The drone is tiny and can fit in the palm of your hand,it weighs just 80g making it a superb travel companion.It has a 5MP 720p camera that takes outstanding videos and images, the quality of which is far superior to every other drone on this list.

The drone is flown via its own app,this is a break from DJI as all other DJI drones are flown via the DJI GO APP. It has a few intelligent flight modes that makes taking videos and images far easier and with its electronic image stabilization software, the resulting videos and pictures are of excellent quality.

The drone has a video transmission range of 100m and has a flight time of about 13 minutes, far exceeding anything else on this list. Other features include auto takeoff and landing,vision positioning system and a failsafe system that automatically brings the drone home should you lost connection or the app crashes. You can also plan your own flights with the help of a simple programming language called Scratch, this is a very easy language to learn and is suitable for kids and people with no prior programming experience. This is the best drone under $100 that is suitable for beginners, kids and even more experienced flyers.

Eachine E58

Does this drone look familiar to you? If it does it’s because it looks a lot like the DJI Mavic without all the advanced features. The Mavic is my favourite drone so when I came upon a model that looked very similar but at only at a fraction of the price,I had to include it on this list.

The Eachine E58 comes with a lot of cool features that makes it a bargain for a drone under $100.

It comes with a 2mp 720p HD camera that can take pretty decent videos and still images. The camera has a 120° FOV and can rotate downwards at 90°. Other features include altitude hold for a more stable flight and headless mode, so you don’t have to worry about the orientation of the drone.

The controller is also similar to the Mavic and has retractable smartphone holder which will allow you to fly in FPV mode. It has one intelligent flight mode and has a flight time of around 10 minutes.

This is a fantastic drone that comes with some advanced features and for a drone that is under $100, the Eachine E58 is a bargain.

Drocon U31W

I am still surprised that this drone can be purchased at such a cheap price,the Drocon U31W is a beginner friendly drone that is suitable for kids and adults and is a lot of fun to fly

It’s small with a lightweight frame and propeller guards that will come in handy if you should crash the drone. It also has a pretty good 2mp 720p camera at the front with a 120° FOV and with its FPV capability,you can stream video straight to your smartphone.

Other features include altitude hold and headless mode for easier flight and the ability to fly with a VR headset for a more immersive flying experience. It also has a couple of safety features,the transmitter will start beeping when the battery gets low or if the drone flies out of range. Flight time is around 7 minutes which isn’t much but purchasing extra batteries will take care of that.

Force 1 UDI U818A

This is another decent camera drone from UDI,the U818A has been on the market a few years now but still remains a popular drone for beginners. It has a simplistic design,the frame is lightweight and acts as propeller guards and the camera is attached underneath the body.

The camera isn’t HD and it won’t win any photography prizes but then again it is under $100. The video quality isn’t too bad although the still images are of far better quality.

It comes with a 4GB TF memory card to store your videos and images on. The drone also has a headless mode for beginners and a LED light at the front for night time navigation. The controller has a range of 80m on a clear day with no obstruction and comes with the usual controls including a button for 360° flips. The drone is pretty fast when flown in normal mode and has a flight time of around 6-7 minutes. It is not my favourite drone and I am not particularly impressed by the overall features, but it does cost less than $100 and is fun to fly.

GoolRC T47

This is an upgrade to the GoolRC T37, as well as a better camera it also comes with a gravity sensor controller,a longer flight time and better transmission range. It’s a well-designed drone with foldable arms for better portability and LED lights at the front which makes it suitable to fly at night time.

This drone has a lot of features and I am still amazed that it costs under $50!! It has a 2mp 720p camera and takes some good videos and aerial images and you can stream live footage to your smartphone via the GoolRC APP. The APP had problems when it was first released but they have sorted bugs out for the most part and it makes for a better flying experience. The drone also comes with a gravity sensor controller,this lets you control the drone through the motion of your hands.

Flight time is around 7 minutes and transmission range is 80m,this is lessened to 30m if you use the live video transmission feature. This is a steal with the features it comes with. I personally love the design of this drone and some of the features are awesome, for a drone under $100, this is a bargain.

Holy Stone HS 200

Holy Stone have established themselves as one of the leading manufacturers of drones for beginners and the HS200 is no different. This is an awesome camera drone that comes with some solid features like FPV,altitude hold and 4-speed modes that will be suitable for beginners and more experienced pilots.

The camera shoots videos in 720p and takes still images in 2mp,both videos and images are of good quality especially for the price its selling for. You can also FPV capability which lets you stream live video footage straight to your camera. You can store your videos and images on a 4GB memory card that comes with the drone.

Other features include controlling the drone through motion of your mobile phone,altitude hold for more stable flight and one button take off and landing. It has a headless mode for beginners and has a flight time of 7-9 minutes.

Holy Stone F181W

Another Holy Stone drone on this list,the F181W is an upgrade to the F181 with one of the upgrades being FPV capability. The F181W comes with a 2mp 720p camera with 120° wide angle FOV.

The camera quality is pretty good considering the price you are paying and with its altitude hold function,you can take good quality images and videos with little distortion. The drone comes with FPV capability which allows you to attach your smartphone on to controller and stream live video fed from the camera. You can also store your videos and images on the 4GB memory card that comes with the F181W.

Other features include a one-touch button for take-off and landing,headless modes for easier flying and 4 speed modes so you can test your piloting skills. The drone is very durable and has propeller guards to protect it if you should crash. It has a range of around 100m and for video transmission the range is 30m. Flight time is around 7-10 minutes. Definitely a drone worth considering.

DBPOWER MJX X400W

When you see drones like the MJX X400W for under $100,you start to realise just how far drone technology has come. This is quite an advanced drone that is suitable for both beginners and advanced pilots.

The MJX X400W is similar to that of other beginner quadcopters,the design isn’t anything new,it has an all-white body and propeller guards to protect it if you crash the drone. There are two LED lights at the front that make it easier for orientation. Although with its headless mode you don’t need to know where its head and tail is.

One of the best features of this drone is its camera,you can take good quality images and videos with it. With the drone coming with FPV capability, you can also stream real time footage to your smartphone. The remote controller has a one button take and landing feature and you can do 360° flips. It has a control range of around 100m in perfect conditions,so expect a bit less than that. The LED lights make it suitable for night time flying and it stays in the air for around 8 minutes. As usual, I advise you to get extra batteries with this drone because 8 minutes flight time is not enough.

Holy Stone HS160

The Holy Stone HS160 is part of a new breed of foldable drones that are becoming more and more popular. This is a very lightweight drone that you can travel around with and is small enough to fit in your back pocket. It comes with a 720p camera that is fitted on its nose and can take some good quality videos and images.

The drone is controlled either by the controller or your smartphone, controlling it through your smartphone gives you more options like first person view and using a VR headset. There is a gravity sensor feature that will allow you to control the drone through motion when using your smartphone. This is another cool feature and one that I am seeing more and more in toy drones.

The control distance is around 100m but to use FPV the distance is only 30m,the streaming isn’t the best but then again ,this is a drone that is under $100. Flight time is 7-9 minutes and there are 4 speed modes that is suitable for beginners to more experienced flyers. A pretty good drone,but I believe there are better options on this list

Summary

What is your favourite drone? did it make this list? Although I do like all the drones on this list, I still maintain, if you are looking to purchase the best drone under $100, It is the DJI Tello, you will not be disappointed.

Hey, I really enjoyed reading your review about the best drones under $100. I’m a huge DJI fan and I own a Mavic air myself and I’m super happy with it. However, I never knew that DJI had a super small drone like Tello Quadcopter I think I really have to test that out. 🙂 since it is only $106. I also must say I think I have a bit mixed feelings about the EACHINE E58 since it looks like Mavic ripoff. How well does it perform?

As huge DJI fan myself,I say you should try out the Tello drone. It is in my opinion the best drone under $100. As for the Eachine E58 ,yeah it does seem like a complete copy cat of the Mavic,and it has nowehere near any of the cool features and flying capability of the Mavic. It is more targeted to those who do not want to spend to much on a drone like the Mavic but are attracted to its small.compact and foldable design. For undwer $100 it is still a god drones.

Thanks for your comment,these drones will be perfect for beginners but their fight times are short and that is why I recommend purchasing extra batteries. As for their cost that will depend on what type of battery your drone takes. If you want a drone with more flight time,you will be looking at paying much more than $100. However, as a beginner I suggest you stick with the ones on this list or something similar so that you can practice your flying skills for something a bit more sophisticated later on.

Wow a drome including camera for under $100 that is an unbelievable price!!
I remember when drones first came out and they were like $1000 or maybe more. If you lost a propeller they were really annoying to replace.
It sounds amazing that it comes with a 5MP camera as well. 13 mins flying time sounds OK? (ish) My question is how long does it take to recharge?

Drone batteries vary on how long they take to fully charge,the new Tello drone battery takes around 20-30 minutes to fully charge,where as the drocon u31w takes over an hour. With batteries always follow the manufacturers instructions and never over charge them.

DJI are truly great manufacturer of drones. My brother wants to have a drone with camera because he saw me flying my drone. I have a dji phantom 3 and I’m looking forward to buying my brother a drone. Luckily I read your article about best drones for under 100. I found it really informative and helpful. I will surely try to buy the Tech Tello Drone since it is made by dji or powered by dji. Thank you for sharing this information.

I agree there is a lot of choice now and sometimes it can be a bit difficult just to choose one. There are no drones on this list that have a 1080p camera,however there are a few with 720p,the best one being the Tello drone.

The Tello drone is such a fun drone to fly and it is so small,its perfect to travel around with. The other drones on this list are good,but DJI have a knack producing brilliant drones that always top the best of lists and the Tello drone is no different.

I recently wrote an article on my site related to drones and the amazing developments of drones specific to holiday and travel photography. It is truly astounding how quickly this market has developed and how the prices have reduced for some amazing quality rigs.

There are so many type and style in the market that it can be a little overwhelming where to buy real quality. In your opinion, what are some of the top manufactures to look out for in the market currently?

Thanks for your comment, the drone industry is booming and there are many up coming companies that look promising, however, I would say the household names like, DJI, Yuneec, Holy Stone, Parrot, Syma, Walkera are the ones consistently manufacturing good consumer drones.

I bought a Pioneer UFO drone for my son on his last birthday, for around the $100 mark, and we had great fun with it at first…Then suddenly new laws came into play in our country (the UK) and we are now a bit apprehensive as to taking it out.

Do you know anything about these laws regarding weight and what’s allowed and what’s not – it’s all got very confusing and we don’t want to get into trouble?